The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group works to help people whose rights have been violated and investigates cases involving such abuse, as well as assessing the overall human rights situation in Ukraine. The Group also seeks to develop awareness of human rights issues through public events and its various publications

Six months after Roman Landik, son of a Party of the Regions MP, received a suspended sentence for a shocking assault on a young woman fully captured on video, his father has tried to get criminal proceedings initiated against a journalist for coverage at the time.

If Volodymyr Landik succeeds in getting the prosecution initiated, the Editor of the Internet publication Levy Bereg [lb.ua] Sonya Koshkina could face up to 7 years imprisonment.

Landik Senior has approached the Pechersky District Prosecutor demanding that a criminal investigation be initiated under Article 163 of the Criminal Code (breaching privacy of correspondence with respect to state or public figures). This carries a sentence of between 3 and 7 years.

Landik’s application names Sonya Koshkina [formally Ksenya Vasylenko]; Main Editor Oleh Bazar and photographer Maxim Levin. It refers to a publication from 18 November 2011 entitled “Landik Senior saves his son through the use of technical people and “correct” commentary on websites”. On 18 November during the parliamentary vote on the parliamentary elections bill, LB.ua photographed Party of the Regions MP Volodymyr Landik texting his son who was at that time in custody (after being extradited from Russia after the scandal broke out – translator).

LB.ua says that from the contents of the SMS it is clear that in order to optimize his son’s image, Landik Senior is engaging political technologists as well as journalists from the Luhansk TV company to write positive comments in the news and texts about the Landik Junior trial.

At the time Landik Senior made various aggressive statements, including a demand that Ms Koshkina “publish her sanitary pads” but only approached the Prosecutor 8 months later (and just 4 months before the parliamentary elections – translator).

The LB.ua editorial team express surprise at the Prosecutor’s request for information in respect to this application and cannot exclude the possibility of a political aspect to the case. The fact that Landik Senior waited so long arouses wariness, they add and say that their lawyers do not see any unlawful behaviour in the actions of the journalists.

Roman Landik gained considerable notoriety after he assaulted a young woman who had rejected his advances in a restaurant at the beginning of July 2011. A considerable part of the prolonged attack on Maria Korshunova was filmed by CCTV and circulated on the Internet.

Public outrage led to Landik himself fleeing to Russia, and assurances from those in power that he would be extradited and punished.

Landik’s behaviour throughout the court case was highly specific and confrontational. This also does not appear to have been reflected in the suspended sentence passed on a person who carried out an unprovoked and prolonged attack on a woman and then fled the country.